Sources Pandyan dynasty

1 sources

1.1 sangam literature
1.2 epigraphy
1.3 foreign sources

sources

sangam literature

four-armed vishnu, pandya dynasty, 8th–9th century ce.

pandya kings find mention in number of poems in sangam literature. among them nedunjeliyan, victor of talaiyalanganam , , mudukudimi peruvaludi of several sacrifices deserve special mention. beside several short poems found in akananuru , purananuru collections, there 2 major works – mathuraikkanci , netunalvatai (in collection of pattupattu) – give glimpse society , commercial activities in pandyan kingdom during sangam age.

it difficult estimate exact dates of these sangam age pandyas. period covered extant literature of sangam unfortunately not easy determine measure of certainty. except longer epics silapathikaram , manimekalai, common consent belong age later sangam age, poems have reached in forms of systematic anthologies. each individual poem has attached colophon on authorship , subject matter of poem. name of king or chieftain whom poem relates , occasion called forth eulogy found.

it these colophons, , texts of poems themselves, gather names of many kings , chieftains , poets patronised them. task of reducing these names ordered scheme in different generations of contemporaries can marked off 1 has not been easy. add confusions, historians have denounced these colophons later additions , untrustworthy historical documents.

any attempt @ extracting systematic chronology these poems should take consideration casual nature of these poems , wide differences between purposes of anthologist collected these poems , historian s attempts arrive @ continuous history.

pandyas mentioned greek megesthenes writes southern kingdom being ruled women. hiuen tsang mentions citing buddhist friend @ kanchi , callas malakutta or malakotta capital city not mentioned.

epigraphy

the earliest pandya found in epigraph nedunjeliyan, figuring in minakshipuram record assigned 2nd 1st centuries bce. record documents gift of rock-cut beds, jain ascetic. punch marked coins in pandya country dating around same time have been found.

pandyas mentioned in pillars of ashoka (inscribed 273 – 232 bce). in inscriptions ashoka refers peoples of south india – cholas, cheras, pandyas , satiyaputras – recipients of buddhist proselytism. these kingdoms, although not part of mauryan empire, on friendly terms ashoka:

the conquest dharma has been won here, on borders, , 6 hundred yojanas (5,400–9,600 km) away, greek king antiochos rules, beyond there 4 kings named ptolemy, antigonos, magas , alexander rule, likewise in south among cholas, pandyas, , far tamraparni river.

kharavela, kalinga king ruled during 2nd century bce, in hathigumpha inscription, claims have destroyed confederacy of tamil states (tamiradesasanghatam) had lasted 132 years, , have acquired large quantity of pearls pandyas.

foreign sources

temple between hill symbols , elephant coin of pandyas sri lanka 1st century ce.



muziris, shown in tabula peutingeriana, templum augusti .

megasthenes knew of pandyan kingdom around 300 bce. described in indika occupying portion of india lies southward , extends sea. according account, had 365 villages, each of expected meet needs of royal household 1 day in year. described pandyan queen @ time, pandaia daughter of heracles.

the periplus of erythraean sea (c. 60 – c. 100 ce) describes riches of pandian kingdom :

...nelcynda distant muziris river , sea 5 hundred stadia, , of kingdom, pandian. place situated on river, 1 hundred , twenty stadia sea....

the chinese historian yu huan in 3rd-century text, weilüe, mentions panyue kingdom: ...the kingdom of panyue called hanyuewang. several thousand li southeast of tianzhu (northern india)...the inhabitants small; same height chinese.... john e. hill identified panyue pandya kingdom. however, others have identified ancient state located in modern burma or assam.

the roman emperor julian received embassy pandya 361. roman trading centre located on pandyan coast @ mouth of vaigai river, southeast of madurai.

pandyas had trade contacts ptolemaic egypt and, through egypt, rome 1st century, , china 3rd century. 1st-century greek historian nicolaus of damascus met, @ antioch, ambassador sent king india named pandion or, according others, porus caesar augustus around 13 ce (strabo xv.4 , 73).

according xuanzang, pandya country depot sea pearls, people harsh , of different religions. @ trade.

in later part of 13th century venetian traveller marco polo visited pandyan kingdom , left vivid description of land , people. polo exclaimed that:

the darkest man here highly esteemed , considered better others not dark. let me add in truth these people portray , depict gods , idols black , devils white snow. god , saints black , devils white. why portray them have described.




^ kulke , rothermund, p104
^ keay, p119
^ s. dhammika, edicts of king ashoka: english rendering buddhist publication society, kandy (1994) isbn 955-24-0104-6
^ india john keay
^ periplus 54. original greek: Ἡ δὲ Νέλκυνδα σταδίους μὲν ἀπὸ Μουζιρέως ἀπέχει σχεδὸν πεντακοσίους, ὁμοίως διά τε ποταμοῦ (καὶ πεζῇ) καὶ διὰ θαλάσσης, βασιλείας δέ ἐστιν ἑτέρας, τῆς Πανδίονος· κεῖται δὲ καὶ αὐτὴ παρὰ ποταμὸν, ὡσεὶ ἀπὸ σταδίων ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι τῆς θαλάσσης.
^ hill, john
^ bin yang (2009). between winds , clouds: making of yunnan (second century bce twentieth century ce). columbia university press. isbn 978-0-231-14254-0. 
^ yukteshwar kumar (2005). history of sino-indian relations. aph publishing. p. 12. isbn 978-81-7648-798-6. 
^ strabo, geography, book xv., chapter i., section 73. perseus.tufts.edu. retrieved on 12 july 2013.
^ keay, p121
^ cite error: named reference ancient indian history , civilization invoked never defined (see page).
^ travel , ethnology in renaissance: south india through european eyes, joan-pau rubiés
^ muslim identity, print culture, , dravidian factor in tamil nadu, j. b. prashant more
^ layers of blackness: colourism in african diaspora, deborah gabriel